More

MOSCOW, March 31- Russia will extend gas price discounts for Ukraine into the second quarter, TASS news agency reported President Vladimir Putin as saying on Tuesday, but any further decisions would be taken in three months and depend on the price of oil. Russia's gas monopoly Gazprom on Monday asked the government to extend a price discount for gas supplies to...

ATHENS, Greece— Greece's new government disagrees with sanctions against Russia, and wants to boost trade ties with the country, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said before a visit to Moscow next week. The U.S. and the EU imposed crippling economic sanctions against Russia over its annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and support for an insurgency in...

The annexation of Crimea in March last year, which Putin has admitted was his personal decision, and Russia's ensuing role in the bloody conflict in eastern Ukraine caused international outrage and saw Russia slapped with economic sanctions. Alexei Kudrin, Russia's finance minister in 2000-2011 and a former deputy prime minister, argued that Putin's focus...

*President wants rich to keep money in Russia. The former Mrs Russia and Mrs Globe beauty pageant winner is among Russia's super rich but even she and many of her wealthy friends are feeling the pinch from the economic crisis. But the enforced modesty has not yet driven the super wealthy out of Russia or against President Vladimir Putin, who has fanned patriotism...

ATHENS, March 28- Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said on Saturday that he sought no rift with Europe after his cash-strapped country submitted a list of reforms to its lenders in a bid to secure much-needed funds. After answering a question regarding government attempts to deal with corruption, Tsipras was asked whether he wanted a rift or a solution with...

ATHENS, March 28- Greece's Energy Minister Panagiotis Lafazanis will meet his Russian counterpart and the CEO of energy giant Gazprom in Moscow on Monday, as he hit out at the EU and Germany for tightening a' noose' around the Greek economy. Outspoken Lafazanis, on the left wing of Greece's co-ruling Syriza party, will meet Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak...

ATHENS, March 28- Greek Energy Minister Panagiotis Lafazanis will meet his Russian counterpart and the chief executive of energy giant Gazprom in Moscow on Monday, just over a week before Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras visits the Russian capital. Lafazanis will meet Russian energy minister Alexander Novak to discuss relations between the two...

KIEV, Ukraine— Russia plans to eliminate Ukraine as an independent state and could spark a new offensive in the east to achieve that aim, Ukraine's prime minister told The Associated Press on Friday. Ukraine and the West accuse Russia of being directly involved in the separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine which has left over 6,000 dead in the last year.

*Iran denounces strikes, Russia calls for "immediate ceasefire". NEW YORK, March 26- Oil jumped about 5 percent on Thursday, the biggest daily gain in a month, as air strikes in Yemen by Saudi Arabia and its Gulf Arab allies sparked fears that escalation of the Middle East battle could disrupt world crude supplies. The Saudi military operation against the Iran- backed...

*Iran denounces strikes, Russia calls for "immediate ceasefire". NEW YORK, March 26- Oil jumped about 5 percent on Thursday, rallying a second straight day, after air strikes in Yemen by Saudi Arabia and its Gulf Arab allies sparked fears of a bigger Middle East battle that could disrupt world crude supplies. Pakistan, a Riyadh ally far away from the conflict, promised a "...

WASHINGTON, March 25- The United States is losing an information war to Russia, Islamic State and other rivals, says a new report that calls for a strengthening in U.S. counter-propaganda efforts and an overhaul of the government's international broadcasting arm. The study is the latest to highlight problems in the Broadcasting Board of Governors, a federal...

MOSCOW— As the economic crisis sweeps through Russia, a dangerous trend is emerging in this heavy-drinking country: the rise in consumption of potentially lethal moonshine, medical alcohol or even cleaning products. Layoffs, wage cuts and price increases are combining to worsen the problem of alcoholism, which has long been a major public health issue, by...

AMMAN, Jordan— Jordan signed a $10 billion deal with Russia on Tuesday to build the kingdom's first nuclear power plant, with two 1,000- megawatt reactors in the country's north. According to the state Petra news agency, Jordan plans to finish construction of the plant in Amra in the country's north by 2022. There are hope it will be fueled with uranium mined in...

Energy is the economic lifeblood of Russia, which vies with the United States and Saudi Arabia to be the world's top oil producer, and the sector is the main target of Western sanctions over Moscow's role in the conflict in Ukraine. Russia could respond by squeezing the gas exports on which Europe relies heavily. "If you start playing around with oil prices, Russia...

KIEV, March 20- Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan offered a $50 million loan to Ukraine and called for the rights of Crimean Tatars to be protected during a trip to Kiev on Friday, but avoided outright criticism of trade partner Russia. In a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, Erdogan said Turkey was also offering $10 million in...

By Alexander Winning and Bernardo Vizcaino. MOSCOW/ MANAMA, March 20- Russian lawmakers have introduced to parliament a draft bill to support Islamic finance, aiming to attract capital inflows at a time when an economic slowdown is intensifying and Western sanctions show no sign of being lifted. While many other obstacles remain, the bill is seen a first step to...

Ian Bremmer, Eurasia Group president, shares perspective on the top headlines in global news this week, including an attempt to forge a new deal with Iran on its nuclear program, and Benjamin Netanyahu's political victory.